Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL review

The Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL comes perfect for:

• Runners who regularly switch between asphalt, parks, fire roads or gravel, and want one shoe that feels at home across all of them.
• Salomon fans who enjoy the brand’s road shoes and want a similar feel with added gravel versatility and protection.
• Marathoners who prefer dirt roads or gravel instead of asphalt or concrete for racking up daily mileage and want a shoe specifically designed for these surfaces.
• Those looking for excellent bounce on mixed terrain and easy trails.

If long runs are your priority, the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL can certainly get the job done, but Salomon offers a better option for runners seeking more shock absorption with the same midsole foam and overall design: the Aero Glide 4 GRVL.

We also think runners looking for a shoe that can handle some trail running may find this model too limited because of its shallow lugs. Instead, we recommend the ASICS Trabuco 14 or adidas Terrex Agravic Speed, both of which offer deeper lugs, good versatility and a similar price.

We proved in the lab that the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL delivers solid impact protection. As we noted earlier, it sits below the Aero Glide series in this regard, but that’s entirely intentional, as Salomon designed this shoe more as a gravel daily trainer with less bulk underfoot.

With 132 SA in the heel and 102 SA in the forefoot, we believe most runners will have more than enough cushioning for their everyday runs and the occasional long-distance workout.

Salomon’s new optiFOAM² (branded on this shoe as EnergyFoam EVO, but it's actually the same compound) is a huge step forward for the brand, delivering excellent energy return at a very reasonable price. In the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL, the midsole returned 67.5% in the heel and 69.4% in the forefoot. That’s an A+ result no matter how you look at it.

Salomon’s positioning within its gravel-focused lineup is very clear. The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is the versatile trainer, with 35.5 mm of heel stack height, whereas the Aero Glide 4 GRVL targets those who need a max-stack midsole, as we measured 40.9 mm in our lab.

From our point of view, the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is the better choice for those who aren’t tackling ultra distances, as it feels more versatile and agile while still providing plenty of foam underfoot.

The forefoot measured very close to our current lab average at 26.2 mm, leaving little room for surprises.

Salomon claims that the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL has an 8 mm heel-to-toe drop, and we measured it slightly higher at 9.3 mm. That’s a very small difference that shouldn’t change your view of the shoe, as it remains versatile for all footstrikes and works particularly well for heel strikers.

We praised this foam for its excellent bounce, and it also highlights why lab testing is orders of magnitude valuable than relying solely on feel and assumptions.

Something we’ve observed for a long time is that, with the same energy return, softer foams tend to feel bouncier than firmer ones. And this shoe has a firm midsole. In fact, this 44.9 AC reading likely explains why the shoe isn’t getting all the praise it deserves for its bounce, despite performing very well in this area.

The Aero Blade 3 GRVL delivers a smooth heel-to-toe transition thanks to its rockered geometry. The rocker is relatively mild in the forefoot but becomes more pronounced toward the heel, helping guide the foot forward especially for those of you that strike with the heel in first place.

Anyone who has tried Salomon shoes probably knows that the brand favours a snug fit over a roomy one, and we believe the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL won’t disappoint long-time Salomon fans.

Our first measurement came in at 94.0 mm in width, placing the shoe slightly below the lab average.

The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL reinforced its snug-fitting design with a 71.3 mm result in our toebox width measurement.

Completing our three-test fit assessment of the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL, we measured a toebox height of 25.8 mm.

This figure is also below the lab average, confirming that the shoe delivers a secure, close-fitting feel from all directions.

The Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL comes with the new Gravel contaGRIP, a new outsole compound specifically developed by Salomon for gravel roads.

However, traction won’t be the shoe’s strongest point. While its 0.54 reading provides a solid grip on loose terrain, it still falls short of what most competitors are delivering today.

The 2.3-mm lugs strike an ideal balance for gravel roads or even paved sections, staying true to the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL’s intended use.

The Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL follows the Aero Glide series with its full-length perimeter rubber layout, while the centre of the outsole is covered by dozens of small hexagonal lugs that immediately reminded us of ASICS’ Novablast.

Around the edges, however, the outsole features large chevron-shaped lugs mostly pointing in the same direction, making it clear that the shoe is designed for smooth, flat terrain rather than long downhill sections where a more braking-focused outsole would be beneficial.

We found the Aero Blaze 3 to be somewhat stiff, requiring 16.5N of force in our 30-degree test, a result that may come as a negative surprise to runners who prefer a more flexible ride.

One of the biggest reasons to consider the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is its low weight. At just 8.5 oz (241g), it’s impressively lightweight for a rugged gravel shoe, helping it feel particularly agile underfoot.

Moreover, it offers a major weight advantage over the Aero Glide 4 GRVL, which is 14% heavier and doesn’t feel nearly as nimble.

Although some runners may not enjoy the firm foam of the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL, this setup comes with some benefits. In our view, the biggest advantage is the added stability compared with softer running shoes, which can be particularly valuable in a gravel-focused model.

While gravel is far less technical than pure trail terrain, it is still considerably more irregular than road running. Therefore, we believe this extra layer of support can be highly beneficial for many runners.

We secured the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL in our custom machine designed to measure torsional rigidity. After twisting the shoe in both directions, we found that it required 16.1 Nm of torque to achieve the specified twist.

The heel counter is ideal for runners who dislike a rigid feel around the ankle and Achilles tendon.

With a 2/5 score in our manual assessment, we believe Salomon has prioritised comfort over stiffness here, while the firm foam provides enough inherent support to compensate for the softer heel counter.

The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is a particularly interesting option for runners who prefer to avoid the increasingly popular maximalist designs that keep growing in every direction.

We already found its stack height to be moderate, and our 111.3 mm forefoot width further suggests that Salomon prioritised an agile, streamlined ride over a broad platform.

We also measured the heel at 89.7 mm, placing it very close to our current lab average. Based on these dimensions, the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL delivers a familiar road daily trainer feel.

A gravel shoe naturally comes with higher durability expectations than a road model, and the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL delivered a solid performance with a 3/5 score in our Dremel abrasion test. Moreover, Salomon added TPU overlays to provide extra protection against damage from kicked-up rocks.

The heel padding also proved highly resistant to wear, earning a strong 4/5 in our durability test.

Finally, we put the Gravel contaGRIP outsole through our durability test and found a solid result, with just 0.9 mm of damage.

We were satisfied with its performance, although we couldn’t help wondering how much better this shoe could be with a better rubber compound like Vibram Megagrip.

The outsole features a generous 2.3 mm thickness, making Salomon’s ability to keep the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL at such a low weight even more impressive.

Salomon partnered with Ortholite for the insole and opted for a thinner-than-usual version, measuring just 3.6 mm in thickness.

Removing it is very easy since the insole isn’t glued in place. However, the toebox already offers limited room, so switching to a thicker insole would further reduce the available space inside the shoe.

Another major advantage of the excellent foam is its ability to handle cold temperatures better than most competing foams.

We noticed that Salomon added a small reflective element to the forefoot. It’s nothing major, but it’s certainly better than having none at all.

The Aero Blaze uses traditional laces threaded through loops that distribute pressure remarkably well. We can see how some runners might be disappointed by the absence of QuickLace, while others will likely appreciate the more conventional setup. Since the QuickLace system already appears on the Aero Glide 4 GRVL, we expect Salomon to bring it to the next Aero Blaze as well.

The tongue is adequately padded at 5.9 mm, providing plenty of protection against potential discomfort. We also liked the quality and aesthetics of the laces, showing that Salomon has paid attention to the small details.

One aspect we don’t particularly like is the lack of a gusseted tongue. For a gravel shoe, where small rocks and dust can easily find their way inside, we believe this feature should be almost mandatory.

We also found a simple heel design that lacks any finger-loop tab, but it is well finished and free of rough edges.

The price of the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is undoubtedly one of its biggest strengths, especially for runners who prioritise a responsive midsole with top-notch energy return. We have no complaints here... and fingers crossed to avoid a hike in the next version.